Gemora Learns To Dance
by Darkpenn
Summary: She might be a bio-engineered killer, but a girl needs what a girl needs.


**Gemora Learns To Dance**

_She might be a bio-engineered killer, but a girl needs what a girl needs._

Gemora frowned. She was in the main hallway of Ship, looking at her reflection in a polished metal panel. She did not have one of those things – what were they called, mirrors, something like that – in her little room. Had never owned one. Never seen the point.

She squinted at her image. Maybe if she put her hair ... like that ... and then if she moved her collar a little ... like that ... and then –

There was a sound behind her. She swung around, reaching for her gun –

It was Groot.

"I am Groot," he said.

"I wasn't doing anything!" she said. "Really I wasn't!"

Groot said nothing.

"Well ... maybe ... maybe I was doing ... something," she said. To tell the truth, she was not sure what she had been doing. "You ... you won't tell anyone, will you?"

"I am Groot," said Groot.

Gemora relaxed a little.

"I see that you're out of that pot," she said. "That's ... good. I suppose."

Groot said nothing. She looked at him. Talking to Groot was like, well, talking to a tree. Which was not entirely a bad thing, she thought, given her current state of mind.

"I ... I'm having a really hard time with this!" she burst out. "I ... I'm not used to being around people. People that I ... like. Not used to liking people. I ... I don't know what to do."

There was the sound of very small footsteps. Rocket came up the hall, going ... somewhere.

"Hi, Gemora," he said.

"Get out of my way, rodent!" she snapped.

Any other racoon might have been offended. But Rocket just said "sheesh" and continued on his way.

Gemora looked at Groot. He raised a wooden finger and wiggled it from side to side.

"So ... that's not it, eh?" said Gemora.

Groot stared at her.

Gemora sighed. "I suppose Peter might be right when he said I'm wrapped a bit too tight," she said. "Damn him. I hate that guy."

Groot looked at her ... sceptically.

"Well, I do," said Gemora. "A lot."

Groot shuffled over to one of the consoles in the wall of Ship. Gemora looked at it. There was something in a little space. AWESOME MIX TAPE #2.

There was a button marked PLAY. Groot pushed it.

There was a cascade of music, and then a beat of drums. "_Oh baby_," sang a voice. "_Give me one more chance, to show you that I love you, one, two, three, take me back in your heart –_ "

"Huh," said Gemora.

"_I want you back – _"

Gemora had a strange sensation. Something was happening. To her hips. They were ... moving. By themselves. It had something to do with the drums.

"_Oh darling, I was blind, to let you go –_ "

This isn't right, she told herself. She did not do this sort of thing. Her body did not move like this. It had no business doing what she didn't want it to.

"_Get back what I lost – _"

And now her shoulders were doing it too.

"_I want you back – _"

She looked at Groot, somehow hoping he could tell her what was happening.

But he didn't. Instead, one of his branches reached out. He grabbed her hand. Swung her round. In time with the music.

"_All I need is one more chance –_ "

What has happening? Why did she feel like this?

"_To show you that I love you –_ "

And why were her feet moving like that?

"_Take me back in your heart –_ "

Groot swung her back the other way. She felt her hair fly out behind her. It felt ... good.

"_Want you back –_ "

As the music faded away, Groot swung her again ... and then let go of her. She swirled over to the other side of the room, coming to rest on a little table. She sat on the edge, panting.

Peter came into the hallway.

"Gemora, we'll be coming in to land soon, so I'll need you in the co-pilot chair," he said.

"Uh, sure," she said. "In a moment."

He looked at her for a few seconds, a bit quizzically. Then he shrugged and left.

She tried to straighten her hair, put it into some sort of order. Then she thought: why? I'll just let it be.

She looked at Groot. She saw that he had sprouted a flower on his arm. He plucked it, and handed it to her. She looked at it, not knowing what to do.

Then, tenderly, he reached up and tucked it into her hair, behind her ear.

She glanced at herself in the metal panel. It looked ... nice. She ... looked nice. She could not help but smile.

"Thank you, Groot," she said softly. "For ... everything."

"I am Groot," he said. He pointed towards the front of Ship.

She started for the cockpit. Nothing, she said to herself, will ever be the same again.

END


End file.
